What is PawnIO, and does FACEIT block it?

PawnIO is a Windows kernel driver from an independent open-source project that lets programs reach hardware registers an ordinary program cannot, such as the processor's temperature readout. FACEIT's anti-cheat will not start beside older PawnIO releases, and FACEIT's list of blocked drivers asks for the latest version, which is the one w0a downloads every time it installs PawnIO. w0a uses PawnIO only to read CPU temperature, RAM timings and RAM temperature, installs it only after you press a button and confirm, and a default w0a install loads no kernel driver at all.

What is PawnIO?

PawnIO describes itself as "a scriptable universal kernel driver, allowing hardware access to a wide variety of programs." Programs use it through modules, each covering one kind of hardware, and the project publishes the official ones in PawnIO.Modules. The driver's source code is public. It is made by an independent developer, not by w0a, and it is installed as its own product with its own setup.

PawnIO's setup offers two editions:

• Official edition: in the project's words, "identical to the open-source version, but digitally signed". This is the one to install.
• "Unrestricted" edition: "an unsigned version without signature checking". It carries only a test signature, so Windows loads it only in test-signing mode, which needs Secure Boot off, and no anti-cheat, FACEIT included, runs beside it.

What does w0a use PawnIO for?

w0a ships no driver of its own and does not bundle PawnIO. It carries four of PawnIO's official modules, unmodified, and with PawnIO installed it uses them to read three things:

The modules only read. While a game is running, w0a stops these reads for its own screens and keeps showing the last value it measured. Everything else in w0a works without PawnIO. The features page lists what else w0a monitors, and the trust page explains what w0a installs and where it downloads from.

How do I install PawnIO from w0a?

1. Open Home. When the Temperature row shows a dash, the card offers Install PawnIO. The RAM Timings page offers the same button under PawnIO driver is not installed.
2. Press it. w0a downloads PawnIO's official setup from the project's GitHub releases over HTTPS, and from nowhere else. It checks the file's digital signature before running anything; a file whose signature cannot be verified is not run.
3. A dialog names the publisher whose signature w0a verified and asks you to confirm. Nothing is installed until you do.
4. PawnIO's own setup window opens. Keep the official edition.
5. If the setup says Windows must restart to finish, restart; w0a tries the driver again afterwards. Otherwise the readings appear without restarting w0a.

If the download fails, check your connection or install PawnIO yourself from pawnio.eu. If you close the setup window early, w0a says the installation does not look complete, and you can press the button again.

How do I repair a damaged PawnIO driver?

The PawnIO driver is damaged means PawnIO's files are on the PC but Windows has no service entry for its driver, so the driver never starts. Restarting w0a does not fix it. On one machine where this happened, installing PawnIO again over the damaged copy did not bring the entry back; removing it first and then installing it did. The repair button does exactly that:

1. Press Repair PawnIO, on Home or on RAM Timings.
2. w0a downloads and verifies the official setup the same way as for a first install, then asks you to confirm.
3. It runs PawnIO's setup twice without a window: first to remove PawnIO, then to install it again, which writes the service entry back.
4. If the repair does not complete, w0a says so. You can then remove PawnIO in Windows and install it again with the setup from pawnio.eu.

Why is the temperature or the timings table empty?

Frequently asked questions

Does FACEIT block PawnIO?

FACEIT's list of blocked drivers names PawnIO.sys and asks you to update PawnIO to the latest version. With an older PawnIO present, FACEIT's anti-cheat does not start: a startup block, not a ban. PawnIO 2.2.0 ran beside FACEIT through played matches on one machine; that is one observation, not a guarantee. If FACEIT is installed and the PawnIO on your PC is older than 2.2.0, w0a warns you before it installs or repairs anything. FACEIT's error and its other requirements are covered in Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 for anti-cheat.

Why does reading the CPU temperature need a driver?

w0a reads the temperature from the processor's own registers, and only code running inside the Windows kernel can read them. w0a runs as an ordinary program with no driver of its own, so it uses PawnIO's. RAM timings are the same case: Windows reports the memory speed but not the detailed timings.

How do I remove PawnIO?

In Windows, open Settings → Apps and uninstall PawnIO from the list of installed apps, where it has its own entry, published by namazso. w0a keeps working; only the CPU temperature, RAM timings and RAM temperature stay empty.

Which PawnIO version do I have, and how do I update it?

The list of installed apps shows PawnIO's version under its name. w0a installs the latest release whenever it installs or repairs PawnIO, but it does not update a working PawnIO by itself. To update, run the current setup from pawnio.eu; PawnIO's release notes say version 2.2.0 upgrades 2.1.0 without uninstalling it first.

Does uninstalling w0a remove PawnIO?

No. PawnIO is a separate product with its own entry in the list of installed apps, so removing w0a leaves it in place; remove it separately as described above. Uninstalling w0a lists what else stays behind.

Related

• Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 for anti-cheat (VALORANT, FACEIT): check and turn them on
• CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming: what is normal
• Is your RAM at its rated speed? XMP, EXPO and dual channel
• Uninstalling w0a